Norwegian Antique Rocking Chair Restoration

Our customer entrusted us with the restoration of two wonderful items he had inherited. An old spinning wheel and an old rocking chair that were both showing their age. The craftsmanship and quality of the materials used in its construction the rocker was in a very good stable condition. Work was required aesthetically, the joints required tightening, but the seat area required most of the restoration work. Over a number of hours we cleaned, gel stained and top coated the wooden parts and our upholstery department did a fantastic job of recreating the leather strapping to support a loose cushion. The results are simply heartwarming. The rocking chair was returned to the family for the next generation and generation after them to enjoy.
Here is a brief history of the Rocking Chair provided by our customer:
• The rocker and the spinning wheel came over from Norway in the late 1860’s
• Both the rocker and the wheel were the only 2 items my mother had from her grandmother Kari’s estate when she died in about 1940
• My mother was born in a one room house on the SW Minnesota prairie in 1928 (Hanley Falls, Minn), delivered by her grandmother I believe and a mid-wife
• My mother passed away in Dec, 2012 at the age of 84, in ABQ and the items have been in storage until this spring, when I dropped them off with you this summer
• Growing up, I remember both items from as early as I can remember (about the age of 5 or 6?), and they were always “delicate, couldn’t sit on the rocker, play with the wheel”, etc. So I remember them from about 1960 or so. They moved with us from San Francisco to Seattle, to Idaho. After I graduated college and left the house in Idaho, they moved with my mom ultimately to NM
• Growing up I remember the rocking chair as only being a place where the cats could sit and sleep. It would rock, but couldn’t hold any weight (although I did try it a few times when she wasn’t looking)…..
• And now it works and looks great!

Here is the review our customer provided us:
10/10 Very resourceful in returning a 150 year old Norwegian rocking chair to usability, while still retaining appropriate character and patina. As a family heirloom, this was not a traditional repair.